Wherever the Moon Shines
by kofikrisp
Summary: *This story was written based off of a series of reoccurring dreams over several years. If you're looking for a love story- this is it. Takes more of a realistic look at how the relationship between Piccolo and Kate developed. PiccoloXOC
1. Chapter 1

Chi-Chi cried into the phone.

"Yeah, Kate...why would I lie about this?! They tried to wish him back but he said he didn't want to…but why would he…" She choked on her tears. "Sorry. Do you mind if I call you back another time? I just need to go lie down for a while." She hung up the phone and sobbed on her pillow. She'd been in bed since the morning before.

She couldn't help but feel bad for hanging up, but she was in no condition to talk. Kate was her younger half sister by 10 years. Though they looked similar, she always thought Kate was more beautiful; both inside and out. She sighed. She never thought she'd be a single parent…

Nothing, and no one could understand, let alone heal the pain she was feeling.

She closed her eyes, playing back memories of her and Goku, and fell asleep.

-  
"Dad!" Kate ran through the hallways of their house to the living room, where the Ox King was seated in a recliner reading a book.

"What is it Kate?"

She smiled and slung her backpack straps over her shoulders. She sported a black jacket, black yoga pants, and sneakers. Her hair unlike Chi-Chi's was always parted to the left side. Having gone to school/work in the city, their styles were quite different, despite how similar they looked.

He smiled back at her.

"You know, she said she didn't want any visitors."

Kate flicked her hand.

"Don't worry. I've always known how to cheer her up."

Ox King nodded his head. "Just be safe, and make sure you guys look after each other, okay?"

Kate nodded and walked out the door.

Gohan paced outside his mother's room door nervously.

Do I wake her up? Should I?

"Gohan?"

Chi-Chi called from inside the room.

The young boy opened the door slowly.

"Yes, mom?"

She was standing at her mirror, frantically trying to fix herself up.

"Who's at the door, honey?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not too sure, and I didn't want to open the door just in case."

Chi-Chi placed a hand on his head, and smiled down at her son.  
"Good, Gohan. You did the right thing."

The widow fixed her hair up once more before opening the door.

"Kate?!"

-

Kate stood there with a basket full of fruits. She looked similar to Chi-Chi, except she had long black hair parted to the left side, and wore clothes that were more modern. She sported black leggings, brown boots, and a white chiffon button up blouse. She truly was beautiful.

"Hi Chi-Chi! I know you didn't want guests and stuff….but I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd bring you your favourites!" She pulled out a mango from the basket. "Mangos from our tree!"

Chi-Chi looked at her younger sister for a moment before pulling her into an embrace.

"You're crazy. Don't change."

The two sisters stayed up late that night catching up, and most of all—laughing.

Kate had gone to the city to study since she was young. Ox King had decided that it would be the better route for his younger daughter. This being the case, her and Chi-Chi would usually only get to spend the summer together. However, as they grew older—the summer visits became less and less frequent. They hadn't seen each other in over 5 years

"Are you serious? You actually got away with that?! "

Kate laughed.

"Yeah, my business law teacher really liked me I guess?"

They both burst out laughing.

Gohan sat there listening, just happy to see his mother smiling again.

Kate turned to her nephew.

"You know-Bulma tells me you're quite the martial artist."

Gohan beamed with pride.

"Really? She said that to you?"

Kate nodded her head, and caught Chi-Chi looking somewhat disappointed from the corner of her eye.

"She also told me you're going to be quite the scholar when you grow up." She peeked over at Chi-chi and was relieved to see her smiling.

Gohan smiled and nodded.

Chi-Chi patted him on the head. "That's right."

He spoke up shyly.

"Yeah, I'm trying my hardest I guess." He laughed shyly. "Um….auntie Kate? So, how long will you be planning to stay with us?"

Chi-Chi pulled her sister's hands close to her.

"Oh please tell me you'll stay for a while? Maybe even the whole summer?!"

Kate laughed.

"Well I don't know…..I only brought 3 months' worth of clothes with me."

Chi-Chi squealed from excitement.

"Gohan, will you be alright sleeping with mommy for a while, so Auntie can use your room?"

The young half Saiyan nodded with a smile.

"Of course!"

Chi-Chi got up from her seat.

"This is so great! I'll go get your room ready!"

She hugged her younger sister once more.

"Thank you so much, Kate."

By the time it all ended, it was just past midnight.

Kate was exhausted-having driven for 6 hours just to get to the Son residence.

She climbed into bed, but was startled by a gentle rapping on the door.

Gohan came in holding a blanket.

"Sorry to bother you auntie, but I thought you might need this." He placed it on the bed.

"It gets really cold in my room at night."

Kate smiled. "Thanks, Gohan." He was so endearing. "You'll need to show me your martial arts skills sometime, okay?"

He nodded his head and smiled before leaving the room, closing the door quietly.

Kate pulled the blankets over her and drifted off into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

It was half past 8 in the morning, Piccolo and Gohan's usual training time.

Piccolo grew impatient, and it was made apparent by the twitching of his right eyebrow.

It was unlike Gohan to be late….

 _It's probably his damn mother._

Just then, Chi-chi came out to hang some laundry. She acknowledged Piccolo with a huff.

But if Chi-chi was outside...where was Gohan?

Irritated, Piccolo swung the boy's window open.

"Gohan!"

He could see the boy's black hair sticking out from under his blanket.

"I will give you 3 seconds before I beat the laziness out of you."

The covers only tightened.

With a growl, he began to count.

"1!...2!...GOHAN!"

Piccolo angrily pulled the covers off the bed with his right hand, and formed a fist with his left.

Unfamiliar eyes slowly opened to meet his.


	3. Chapter 3

Fangs, green skin, and angry eyes were the first things Kate saw that morning.

She couldn't help but scream.

Piccolo fell backwards- knocking a few books off of Gohan's desk.

Kate shakily collected the covers from the ground, and held them up so she had something to hide behind. She was too scared to run.

Just then, Gohan came rushing into the room and let out a gasp upon seeing what had just unfolded.

Piccolo was still on the ground- unsure of what to do.

"Gohan! Explain what the hell is going on here now!"

The boy slowly walked to Kate, and climbed up the bed so he could look over the wall she had made, slowly pulling her hands down.

"Good morning Auntie! Sorry about that, you don't have to be scared. He's harmless."

Having heard everything, Piccolo quickly got up.

"Gohan's wrong about me being harmless, and a sheet of fabric isn't going to protect you anyways."

Kate shakily dropped the covers.

The boy gasped upon seeing Kate's face and angrily turned towards Piccolo.

"Piccolo! What did you do?!"

Confused, Kate spoke up.

"Aside from scaring the sh- I mean, giving me a heart attack. He hasn't done anything else. What's wrong?"

Gohan pointed towards Kate's eyes.

"Your eyes are bleeding...why is your blood black?"

Kate quickly rubbed her eyes. She hadn't gotten a chance to wash her make up off last night, and her mascara was running down her face.

Embarrassed, Kate quickly ran out of the room, and into the washroom.

"Woah. That was weird, don't you think Mr. Piccolo?"

Gohan gasped as Piccolo picked him up from the back of his shirt and threw him outside.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Gohan got up slowly, wiping the dirt off of his clothes.

"That was for being late for training!"

Piccolo then threw a punch at the boy, sending him crashing into the tree.

"And that was for not answering me when I asked you a question!"

Gohan shook the dizziness off.

"I'm sorry. What question?"

The Namekian was about to throw another punch but then decided that was probably enough.

"Who is she, and why was she sleeping in your bed? You're too young for such matters."

The young Saiyan began to shake his hands nervously

"No! It's not like that at all. She's my Auntie! She's my mom's little sister, and she's staying with us for a while."

Piccolo folded his arms.

"Sounds like trouble to me."


	4. Chapter 4

Kate finally removed the last bit of makeup from her face.

She wasn't sure what shook her up more—the big green alarm clock that wanted to kill her, or the fact that she scared a 6 year old boy by looking like a total monster.

What the hell just happened…?

There was a sudden pounding on the door. By the franticness of the knocking, she could tell it was Chi-Chi.

"Oh my gosh, honey! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?! I just heard screaming!"

Kate opened the door.

"I'm fine Chi-chi, sorry about all the noise." She looked down, feeling a bit ashamed.

"What happened?!" Chi-chi pulled Kate out of the washroom and sat her down onto a couch in the living room.

"Well, the big green guy mistakened me for Gohan, that's all." Kate forced a laugh.

Chi-chi suddenly stood up.

"PICCOLO! I SWEAR! That guy has done NOTHING but wreak havoc since the day I met him!" She shot a glare at him through the window.

"You stay here; I'm going to get him to apologize!"

Kate's eyes widened as her mouth dropped.

"No Chi-chi! I swear it's fine! It was an accident!"

She was too late. Chi-Chi was already out the door.

"HEY! YOU!"

Piccolo and Gohan stopped their training, and looked in fear as Chi-chi came marching towards them.

"Mom! What's wrong?!" Gohan ran up to Chi-Chi but she moved him aside.

Chi-chi grabbed Piccolo by the scruff of his collar.

"Look here! I don't know what the hell your problem is, but if you don't go in there and apologize to Kate RIGHT NOW, you'd might as well just leave and stay away for a long time!"

Piccolo pulled away from Chi-Chi with a snarl and turned to Gohan.

"Sorry Kid. Keep training—I'll come back once your mom is done being senseless." With that he took off into the sky.

Kate ran out and watched as he flew away. Bulma had told her stories about the Z Fighters, but actually seeing one of them in person flying—it was breath taking. His cape blowing in the wind made it that much more dramatic.

Gohan ran in the direction Piccolo took off in.

"Mr. Piccolo! Don't go!"

Just as he was about to fly after him, Chi-Chi grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Where do you think you're going young man?!"

Gohan hung his head low, trying to hold back tears.

"Piccolo needs to go and realize that he's wrong. I don't think I've ever heard a sorry come out of that man's mouth. So ignorant."

"But mom!"

Chi-chi folded her arms. "No buts! Now go into your room!"

Gohan slowly marched into the house, his head still hanging.

"Chi-chi, I'm so sorry." Kate slowly approached her.

She kept her arms folded. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It was only a matter of time before he took it too far. Who knows? Maybe he'll  
actually learn something from this." She started to walk into the house. "Breakfast is ready in the kitchen. Please help yourself to as much as you want."

"Thank you."

Kate stood still and stared into the sky—wondering where Piccolo had gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Later that night, Kate decided to check up on Gohan. Chi-Chi had gone to sleep early, so hopefully this wouldn't get him in trouble.

"Gohan?" she slowly opened the door.

There he was sitting on the floor—holding his gi in his hands. His eyes were swollen from crying, and it seemed that he only stopped not too long ago.

He wiped his eyes upon noticing Kate enter the room. She quietly shut the door behind her.

"How you holding up?" She took a seat beside him on the floor.

He replied by hanging his head down once again. A few sniffs escaping from his nose.

Kate had only known Gohan for a day or so—but she felt as if she had known him her whole life. Maybe it was because he reminded her of herself in a way.

Yes, Kate had a better childhood than Gohan—a loving father, a sibling, a home in the city…..  
But as she grew older- she grew lonelier. She would often find herself alone in her home some nights—a million things on her mind, and no one to talk to. Always trying to do the right thing, but having nothing go her way. Just like what Gohan was going through now.  
She could tell from the start that Gohan was a great kid—one of the best of all the kids she had ever met. Seeing him like this broke her heart.  
She wrapped an arm around him.

"He'll be back soon."

Gohan looked up with sad eyes. "But my mom told him not to."

Kate smiled. "She was just mad at the moment—she didn't really mean it. She knows how much Piccolo means to you."

Gohan sniffed a bit more. "He should have just said sorry. Then this wouldn't have happened."

Kate sighed sympathetically, and pulled him in closer to her.

"Sorry is actually a really hard word to say for some people. Saying sorry is basically saying you were wrong—and Piccolo seems like the type who doesn't like to be wrong."

The boy nodded his head.

Kate rubbed his shoulder. "Well, even if that's the case—it was all an accident. He'll be back in no time, and I bet your mom is already over it."

Gohan's eyes had a glint of hope as he looked up at her.

"You really think so?"

Kate nodded her head. "I know it. Hey you know what? While you're taking a break from training—how about you and I go do something fun on Saturday?" It was only Sunday, so Kate figured that would give Gohan enough time to finish his school work so Chi-chi wouldn't be too uptight about him being gone for a whole day.

Finally, a smile from the boy.

"Do you think my mom will let me?" He stared at Kate anxiously.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to her." She stood up and gently pulled Gohan up with her.

"Now, you should get some rest. You've had a long day." She led him to his bed. "I'll take the couch tonight."

Gohan climbed into bed as Kate pulled the blanket over him.

"Night kiddo." She turned towards the door, and looked back before turning off the light. Gohan was fast asleep—smiling.

With a smile she turned off the lights, and shut the door.

Piccolo watched from afar—having heard the whole conversation.

He had been nothing but rude since the moment she met him—yet there she was, standing up for him when the only thing she knew about him aside from their encounter was his name.

Maybe he was wrong….maybe she wasn't so bad after all.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days were interesting for Kate and Gohan alike.

After finishing all his school work, Gohan would show Kate around the valley.

Kate shaded her eyes from the Sun. "This place is huge! I thought we already walked through most of it, but we're not even half way through!"

She said with excitement.

"Wait till I show you the next place! Follow me!"

Kate looked up a bit disheartened. Gohan was already halfway up a mountain.

The past few days alone were probably the most exercise Kate had ever done—and they had just started Gohan's 'tour' for today an hour ago. She did go to the gym at least 5 days a week while in the city—but this was a whole different level. She made a mental note to join a different exercise class once she returned home after her vacation.

Gohan sat down quietly as Kate caught her breath. She finally made it to the top.

"Alright, Gohan. Let's see what—oh wow."

From the top of the mountain it was a picture perfect view of it all. Kate awed at the waterfall, trees of different sorts, wild life, and the river.

"Gohan—how did you find this place?"

The boy looked down smiling.

"Well, this is where Mr. Piccolo used to train me when I was little." he looked at him in shock. Despite its beauty—she could already tell all the dangers associated with it.

"Um. What do you mean when you were little?"

Gohan held up 4 fingers. "I was 4 when Piccolo first started training me."

Kate fell back a bit.

"4?!"

She didn't even know if she was able to speak a full sentence at that age—let alone survive in the wild, and fight!

"Was he out of his mind?!" She leaned in closer to Gohan to examine his expression.

The boy chuckled. "He was really different back then….but I'm happy he did it. If it weren't for him—I probably never would have learned how to  
fight." He beamed with pride. "Piccolo has always been there for me. He even gave his life up for me once." Gohan proceeded to telling her about their fight with the Saiyans, and their adventures on Namek. "He's like my big green uncle." He began to chuckle again.

Kate smiled. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all….

Gohan pointed over to the waterfall.

"That's his favorite spot to meditate. I was hoping we'd see him, but I guess my mom really scared him off." He looked down sadly.  
Kate felt her heart string being pulled. She slowly got up, and reached out a hand so that Gohan would rise at the same time as her.

"It's only been 5 days. Who knows? Maybe he's the one who gets tired when you two train. Maybe he needed to take a break." She winked.

Gohan laughed. "Well, I am getting a lot faster.." He looked down bashfully.

"You wanna show me?" She folded her arms—showing that she was issuing a challenge.

Gohan bent over a bit and held his arms behind him. "Hop on! It's the only way to show you."

Kate felt a bit awkward. "Gohan, I'm a lot heavier than you th—"

"I can do it! Don't worry." He looked at her with confidence.

"Alright…..if you break your back, you'd better think of a better story to tell your mom." Kate swallowed at the thought of Chi-Chi getting mad at  
her. She awkwardly hung over Gohan's back. She was so much bigger than him. She made another mental note to join a new exercise class.

"Ready?! Hang on tight!"

A large cloud of dust formed as Gohan raced down the mountain.

Kate could do nothing but scream, and hold on for dear life.

After what seemed to be the longest 5 seconds in history—Kate opened her eyes.

They were on the ground. She got down shakily.

"Gohan! That—that was so incredible!" She bent over and looked at the boy in awe. He really was something else.

He didn't even break a sweat.

"You should see how fast Mr. Piccolo is! I'm sure he'd give you a piggy back too if you asked!"

Kate blushed at the thought of having Piccolo piggy back her, and laughed.

"Maybe we'll start by trying to get him to smile first."

Gohan joined in with her laughter.

Kate looked at the time on her cellphone. "Oh crap. We're going to be late for dinner!"

Gohan bent over once again. "I'll go full speed this time."

Kate gulped, but hopped on. "Okay Gohan, just be caref-AHHHH".

They weren't late for dinner.

The three ate and laughed as they each shared stories. It became their nightly thing to do since Kate first moved in with them. It was amazing how strong of a bond they had created in such a short amount of time—almost as if Kate had lived with them forever.

Later that night, Kate climbed into bed and placed her glasses on the bedside table.

Gohan came walking in wearing his pajamas.

Kate rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Hey kiddo, why aren't you sleeping yet? Aren't you excited for tomorrow?" She patted the bed beside her.

The young Saiyan took a seat, looking a bit shy. "I had a bad dream, and I didn't want to bother my mom…. she's crying about my dad again." Kate looked at him awkwardly—unsure of how to reply.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Kate smiled, and moved to the other side of the bed to make room.

"Of course! This is your bed!"

Gohan climbed in excitedly, and gave her a hug.

"You should just live with us forever!"

She hugged him back and tried to hold back tears. The kid had a hold on her alright.

"Let's get some sleep. We're going to have a long day tomorrow." She turned and tucked him in.

"Night, Gohan."

He turned, and closed his eyes. "Goodnight."

He was out like a light.

Kate suddenly saw a glint of white outside. She wanted to see what it was, but fell asleep shortly after.

Piccolo started to walk away from the Son house—feeling relieved Gohan was in good hands.

"Goodnight."


	7. Chapter 7

"Gohan! Don't forget to put on sunscreen!" Chi-chi yelled from the front door of the house.

Kate and Gohan were jogging up the driveway to Kate's red sports car. She wore denim shorts, and a white tank, while Gohan wore red shorts and  
white t-shirt.

"Yes mom! Love you!"

They hopped in the car, and drove away. Kate made sure not to drive too fast to not worry Chi-Chi.

"Have you ever been to Duranarama?!" She couldn't seem to contain her excitement.

"What?! Are we actually going there?!" Gohan couldn't contain his excitement either, having only heard of Duranarama through commercials on both the radio, and television. It was the biggest theme park in the world.

"You bet! And it's perfect since their new rollercoaster just opened today."

Gohan started to bounce in his seat. "Wow I can't wait!"

-

Night had finally fallen as the two marched through the theme park.

Gohan had won every single game he played, and traded all his toys in for a life-sized dragon toy that looked similar to his old pet dragon Icarus. He  
proudly walked around carrying the toy over his head.

Kate looked through the theme park's guide.

"Games: check, food: check, rides: ch— wait." She called Gohan in closer to look at the map with her. "We totally forgot about the new ride!" They  
looked around and finally saw it.

A huge sign read 'The Goliath', and the name was fitting for the menacing looking roller coaster that had a 500 Foot drop. Kate felt her stomach  
turn.

She dropped the map as Gohan grabbed her hand and began to run towards the ride.

"Oh wow! This is gonna be so awesome!"

Kate swallowed hard as the attendant buckled them in. Gohan wouldn't stop smiling from excitement.

"All right folks, make sure to remove all loose items from your pockets before riding. It's one big drop!"

The riders cheered as the ride began.

Kate closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Seeing Gohan so happy eased her mind a bit, but she just had a bad feeling about this ride.

 _Stop being such a wimp._

The ride started with a jolt, and consisted of twists, turns, and dips. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, until the coaster slowly approached the 500ft drop. Kate's heart was in her throat. She began to mentally prepare herself, but was interrupted by the sound of metal breaking under her and Gohan's cart.

"GOHAN!"

The boy was oblivious to Kate yelling at him, as well as the breaking noises under their cart. He was distracted by adrenaline, the cheers of the rest of the riders, and his own laughter.

"GOHAN!"

There was a pop from under their cart, and Kate watched in horror as screws and pieces of metal shot into the air and down to the ground—that was going to happen to them in a few seconds.

She tried to remove the buckle but it was locked. She grabbed one of the metal pieces that had come off of the cart and began to saw at Gohan's strap.

Gohan looked over at Kate to see if she was having fun, but then stopped his laughter when he noticed her cutting his strap.

"What are you doing?!"

Kate was sweating profusely, as the coaster came closer to the drop.

"Gohan! Once I cut you out of here I'm going to hoist you into the cart behind us, and you'll need to hold on as tight as you can, okay?!"

Gohan screamed out of shock.

"But Auntie—"

The belt finally snapped.

"Got it!" She grabbed Gohan by his waist and used all her strength to try and push him into the cart behind them. The couple behind in the cart  
grabbed Gohan, realizing what was happening.

Just as Gohan got into the cart he yelled.

"BUT AUNTIE! I CAN FLY!"

Kate's face went blank as the realization suddenly came to mind. It was too late.

The coaster began to drop.

Gohan tried to reach for Kate but only managed to grab her buckle—causing it to snap.

He tried to fly and reach her, but the couple held him back. Unaware that he was not a regular 6 year old boy.

Kate's cart fell off the tracks, and she screamed as she fell out of the cart—unable to hold on.

Her screams went silent as she began to fall faster. She looked up and saw Gohan crying.

 _I'm sorry._

There was nothing she could do now. She closed her eyes and accepted her fate—at least she would go knowing that her last few days were some of the best ones she'd ever had.

She suddenly felt her body hit something hard—but it was too warm to be pavement.

Was this what dying felt like?

The feeling of falling stopped. It now felt like she was floating.

She opened her eyes and saw his stern eyes looking at her.

"Piccolo?"

His face stayed expressionless as he landed near the exit of the roller coaster.

He didn't say a word, but remained carrying her until Gohan arrived.

Gohan thanked the couple who helped him before running over to Kate and Piccolo.

"Piccolo! Is she gonna be okay?!"

Kate smiled wearily at Gohan before lowering herself down from Piccolo's arms. His arms tensed—unsure if she was in fact okay to walk. She looked at him reassuringly, and lowered herself to the ground.

Gohan hugged her as hard as he could.

"Auntie! You saved my life, I'm so happy you're alright. Thank you." A few tears began to well up in his eyes.

She rubbed his hair and smiled again—feeling rather emotional as well. She then turned to Piccolo.

"Thank you."

He nodded, and then suddenly turned towards an overweight man who was running towards them. He was pale, with red hair, a beard—and a very obvious receding hairline.

"Thank GOD you guys are okay! Boy what an amazing catch though! Real amazing! I thought—" before he could finish, Piccolo picked him up by the collar with one hand.

"Listen here you piece of shit. Your pity words are never going to make up for putting their lives at risk." He pointed towards Gohan and Kate.

The man shook in fear.

"You'd better get rid of that coaster before I get rid of you instead."

The man screamed and started to pat Piccolo's hands before he dropped him onto the ground.

"Now, now, let's not get hasty. I'm sure we can find a way to make everyone happy.….Horace!" Just then, a smaller man came running towards  
them with several items.

"You like dragons, right kid?" The small man opened a large box shakily, revealing 5 more of the Icarus toys all in different colors. Gohan smiled and ran towards the box.

"Don't worry; we have something for your mommy too!"

Kate blushed, but then looked in awe as the man opened another box full of fine dresses and jewelry. She recognized the items from one of the stands Gohan and her had walked by earlier. The man tried to hand the box to her but was then stopped by Piccolo.

"I had a feeling you'd all be stupid, but I didn't think you'd be blind as well. There's no way she can carry that thing with the condition she's in. No thanks to you idiots." He grabbed the box from the man, and Horace quickly scurried behind his senior.

Piccolo turned back to face Kate.

"Are you able to walk?"

Kate blushed. A bit taken aback by him. This was the first time they were actually talking.

"I'm not too sure." She tried to take a step, but fell over within seconds. She gasped as Piccolo caught her by the waist with his free hand. They locked eyes for a moment before Piccolo called Gohan. He quickly rushed over—the box full of toys in his hands.

"Gohan, I'm gonna need you to take this box. I'll carry her to her car."

The boy nodded and took the box from his master.

Piccolo then looked back at Kate.

"Ready?"

She nodded, and he picked her up gently. This time she wrapped his arms around his neck so he didn't have to worry about her slipping. They looked away from each other—both feeling a bit awkward.

As they began to leave, the overweight man began to wave goodbye.

"Thank you so much for your consideration! Hope you like the presents! I hope you guys know to keep this all on the down low. Right?" He laughed nervously, his breathing heavier than usual.

Piccolo stopped and turned around.

"Oh—one more thing."

He lifted his index finger and sent a small ki blast towards the roller coaster—destroying it in seconds.

The man's jaw dropped, as he looked back at the coaster. Before he could say anything else—they were gone.


	8. Chapter 8

The three had finally reached the car.

"Mr. Piccolo?"

The Namekian turned to face his pupil. He made sure to turn carefully as he was still carrying Kate, who was now asleep.

"Since my auntie hurt her leg…..who's going to drive?"

Piccolo gently placed Kate in the back seat and closed the door. He got into the driver's side, and after adjusting the seat for what seemed to be hours—buckled his seat belt.

"Get in."

Gohan got into the passenger's side nervously. "My mom said I'm not allowed to sit in the fr—"

"Your mom's not here."

"But I thought you and my dad didn't get your licenses?"

"We didn't."

With that, Piccolo stepped on the gas, and both him and Gohan screamed as the car went from 0-80. Piccolo slammed on the brakes—the both of them catching their breaths. They turned around to look at Kate, and breathed a sigh of relief to see that she was still fast asleep.

They continued to drive for another hour—they were almost home.

Hopefully Chi-Chi would understand why they were home so late….

Piccolo stopped at a red light and looked in the rear view mirror at Kate. He never had the chance to really look at her face….he hated to admit it but he couldn't deny that—

"She sure is pretty, isn't she?" Gohan smiled at his teacher.

Piccolo blushed. "What?" Surprised that Gohan seemed to read his mind.

"I saw you staring at her. She is really pretty."

As if to save him, the light went from red to green and Piccolo stepped on the gas once again. Hoping to never have to continue this conversation.

While Gohan was looking out the window, Piccolo took another look at Kate.


	9. Chapter 9

Chi-chi came running out of the house frantically.

"Gohan! Thank goodness! Oh my God, Kate! What happened?!"

She looked in shock as Piccolo carried Kate, who was still asleep. The Namekian looked down, scared of what Chi-Chi might say.

"Luckily, she just has a few cuts, and a slight concussion from what I can tell."

Chi-chi's face was filled with worry. "Tell me what happened later, just get her inside!"

Piccolo carefully placed Kate on Gohan's bed. He examined her right leg, as Chi-Chi got the first aid kit.

"Ouch."

Kate woke up abruptly in response to the pain. Piccolo placed her leg back down.

"Relax. Nothing is broken, you just have a few bad cuts."

Kate smiled, despite the pain.

"I didn't know you were a doctor."

Piccolo's face remained stern—unmoved by her comment.

"I'm not. I've just seen enough injuries to know what's what."

Kate had a mini heart attack, and quickly checked her legs.

 _Oh good. I shaved.  
_  
Gohan came into the room with a few rags, and a bowl of warm water. Chi-Chi followed shortly with the first aid- kit.

Moments later—Kate's wounds were cleaned, and fully bandaged.

Piccolo stared at Kate for a second.

"Hold still."

Kate lay there nervously as Piccolo examined her eyes. His face was centimeters away from touching hers. He slowly pulled away.

"Your concussion isn't too bad, but I think it'd be best if you stayed up a bit longer just to make sure. You've had enough sleep anyways."

Kate wasn't sure if he was making a joke or not, but she nodded in agreement.

Chi-chi yawned and hugged Gohan who was also tired.

Piccolo approached the mother and son. "You guys get some rest. I'll stay up and watch Kate—if that's okay with you." He looked towards Chi-chi.

She replied with a smile, and her and Gohan retired to the master bedroom.

"Goodnight Mr. Piccolo." Gohan went in to hug his master, but was met with a pat on the head.

Gohan entered the room first. Before Chi-chi closed the door, Piccolo called after her.

"Chi-chi."

She looked at him, sleepily.

"I'm sorry."

She smiled—surprised, and mouthed the words "thank you."

Kate lay awake scrolling through her phone.

"That isn't the best thing for your concussion." Piccolo leaned against the doorway.

She looked up startled.

"Sorry. I was checking my Facebook."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's this website where you add your friends so you can share photos, stories, what you're doing and stuff…."

Piccolo huffed. "Sounds like a waste of time."

Kate laughed. "I hate to admit it, but you're actually right." She placed the phone on the bedside table.

Piccolo pulled out Gohan's chair to sit on, but tucked it back in once he noticed it was far too small for him. He took a seat on the ground, and  
leaned against it instead—staring at a picture Gohan had drawn of him, Chi-Chi, Goku, Icarus and himself that read 'My Family.'

Kate turned her body to face him, being careful not to hurt her leg.

"I honestly feel fine. You don't have to stay here."

He continued to stare at the drawing. "That's what they all say."

He turned to his side as Kate reached her right hand out to him.

"What are you doing?"

She laughed.

"I just noticed we haven't formally met yet. I'm Kate." She felt silly, but at the same time felt she had to do it.

Piccolo finally smiled (only slightly) and shook her hand.

Kate slowly pulled back and placed her hand under her head.

"I told Gohan you'd be back. Don't take this the wrong way, but he really loves you."

Piccolo blushed. "He's a good kid." He looked back at the drawing once again, feeling a sense of pride.

"Yeah he sure is." Kate closed her eyes.

Piccolo looked over at her and remembered what Gohan had said in the car.

 _"She sure is pretty."_

There was something about her that got to him.

His heart skipped a beat as Kate opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Aren't you sleepy yet? You've been awake all day."

Piccolo cleared his throat.

"Yeah, you'd better get some rest. I think it's safe to say you're okay." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

"All thanks to you." She smiled.

He turned away from her slightly and grunted. "Goodnight."

Kate turned away from Piccolo, and continued to smile.

"Goodnight."

Piccolo woke up as he noticed the door open.

Gohan quietly walked inside.

They both looked to make sure Kate was still asleep.

"What are you doing up, kid?"

The boy looked at his aunt.

"I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

Piccolo moved to the side and pulled out the chair he was leaning on.

"Well if you're going to stay, you'd might as well take a seat."

He smiled and sat down.

"Thank you for looking after my auntie, Mr. Piccolo." He laughed. "You two would be a super hero couple if you ever got married."

Just as Piccolo was about to strangle Gohan, Kate stirred in her sleep, causing the two to freeze.

The Namekian let out a sigh.

"Just get some sleep."

The boy leaned his head on the table, and drifted off once again.

It was just before sunrise when Kate woke up- she had slept for over 17 hours

She looked and saw Piccolo sitting on the floor with his back leaned against the bed sleeping. Gohan was asleep with his head on his desk.

It was all so touching...they owed her nothing, yet there they were.

She examined her cuts. The bleeding had finally stopped.

Kate looked at her doctor for the day.

"Why are you doing all this?" She whispered.

"Because I care about Gohan."

Kate's face started to burn- Piccolo wasn't asleep after all.

"Oh...right."

Piccolo's eyes remained shut.

"You mean a lot to the kid. You being in pain really hurt him- and I couldn't just stand around."

She smiled. "Well, my I'm leagues better, thanks to you."

He smiled in response.

Kate laughed as she looked at the Namek.

"You're not as bad as I thought."

He smirked. "You too."

Gohan sleepily lifted his head from the desk.

"Auntie? Auntie!" He hugged her tightly.

Chi-chi entered the room in her night gown. "Oh Kate. It's so nice to see you're okay." She leaned against the doorway with a smile.

"I feel so terrible. I'm sorry for all the trouble."

Chi-chi shook her head "Don't worry about it. Now we should all get some rest." She smiled, then gave a nod to Piccolo before leaving the room- waving for Gohan to follow her.

Gohan hugged Kate one more time before heading to bed.

Kate and Piccolo stayed in silence.

"So Piccolo...I guess you'll be heading out now too?"

He turned to face her.

"I would, but I need to make sure you're alright. If it were anyone else, I could probably feel their ki from afar, but that's the problem."

Kate looked at him confused.

"What?"

"I can't sense your ki."

Kate only knew about how ki worked through Gohan, and apparently everyone had ki- why couldn't Piccolo sense hers though?

"What? Why?"

Piccolo chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not because you're weak. I could sense the ki of a fly if I needed to. I'm not too sure why." He looked at the moon. "That's why I haven't left yet."

Kate slowly got up to stand beside him.

"Well, whatever it is- I'm okay now so you don't need to worry." She placed a hand on his shoulder.

He flinched at her touch.

He then looked at her. Kate could see from his eyes that he hadn't slept in a long time.

"I promise I'll be fine, Piccolo. Thank you."

He nodded.

"If anything happens, tell Gohan to call me."

He disappeared in mere seconds, leaving nothing behind but the wind.


	10. Chapter 10

Piccolo arrived on the Lookout moments later.

He hadn't slept in over 2 days...

"Piccolo, my you look terrible!" Kami emerged from his room.

"Guess I'm catching up to you aren't I?" Piccolo was a bit more snarky than usual.

"Is something troubling you, boy?"

Piccolo growled. "It's none of your business!" He started to walk to his room.

"Ah Piccolo. You forget that we are indeed connected, and when you feel distressed- I feel it as well." He walked up to Piccolo. "There's no point in hiding it."

Piccolo leaned back against a pillar. The old man was right.

"There's a...well...Gohan has a relative...and I can't sense her- I mean his relative's ki."

Kami smirked.

"Did you say that Gohan's relative was female?"

Piccolo's ears started to burn.

"Yeah. That. It doesn't matter anyways."

Kami laughed. "Well actually, it does."

The younger Namekian shot up- surprised.

"How?"

Kami closed his eyes and smiled. Trying to think of a way to explain the situation without embarrassing his younger pupil more.

"You can't focus on her energy because your mind is elsewhere when you think of this relative of Gohan's."

Piccolo grunted and started to walk towards his room once again—aware of what Kami was saying.

"I should've known I wouldn't get anything but non sense out of you."

The elder Namek chuckled.

Piccolo slammed his door. He hated to admit it- but he couldn't focus properly around her…..it irritated and intrigued him all at once. Even when he wasn't training Gohan, he'd come around to just check on him…..or was it because he was curious about her?

As soon as his head hit the pillow—he was fast asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

A week had passed, and things seemed to finally be back to normal.

Piccolo was training Gohan once again, Chi-Chi was smiling more every day, and Kate's concussion was almost healed.

She sorted through the clothes in her suit case, and sighed.

"Why'd I bring so many pants?"

The weather forecast for the summer had said it would be no more than 20 degrees…..but it had been over 25 every day since she arrived at the Son Residence.

She grabbed her keys and started to walk out to her car.

Chi-Chi looked at her as she hung some laundry out front.

"Where are you going?"

Kate smiled and tugged at her jean shorts. She sported a pink tank top, and sandals.

"I need to go back to my place and grab more shorts….it's too damn hot! I don't think I can go hand washing my 3 pairs every day any longer…..I don't know how you do it."

Chi-Chi tilted her head.

"You're more than welcome to borrow my clothes?"

Kate stiffened at the thought of her wearing Chi-Chi's clothes

"Thanks, Chi-Chi! It's alright though, I have to run some errands anyways."

Kate got in her car and began to drive. She drove a bright red muscle car, which looked much too big for her.

A few seconds later, a dizzy spell suddenly came over her.

Piccolo's ears perked, and he turned towards Kate car whilst blocking one of Gohan's punches.

"Mr. Piccolo?"

The Namekian warrior quickly flew over to Kate's car, stopping it with his hand before opening the door.

"I don't think you should be driving."

Kate looked at him dizzily.

"I'm fine."

He huffed.

"I could hear you constantly breaking, and you've moved less than 10 metres. Your concussion isn't fully healed yet, is it?"

She groaned and got out of her car.

"I'm so tired of being tired…..and not doing anything. I really wanted to just grab some stuff from my house, and maybe go around the city…"

Gohan suddenly chimed in.

"Maybe Mr. Piccolo can bring you?"

They both shot up and blushed.

Kate waved her hands.

"No, no it's fine! Actually, come to think of it I am pretty tired."

She let out a nervous laugh.

Gohan looked towards his master.

"Piccolo and I finished our training for today, and mom said I have those people coming to interview me for my university enrollment today."

Kate couldn't help but face palm.

 _Oh Chi-Chi._

She removed her hand from her face and took a deep breath before kneeling down to meet her nephew at eye level.

"That's very sweet of you, Gohan. I promise I'll be fine though."

Piccolo stood there pondering.

He wasn't a big fan of the city, but he was still curious about why he couldn't sense Kate's ki….perhaps studying her one on one would enable him to  
figure it out? It had been almost a month now, and he still didn't have any indication of what it could be.

"Where do you live?"

The two faced Piccolo. Surprised.

"Um, just about 5 blocks away from Capsule Corp."

Piccolo folded his arms and looked away.

"I can take you."

She blushed once again.

"No, it's okay! I don't want to trouble you."

"I wouldn't have offered."

Gohan smiled sheepishly at the two.

"Well, I need to get inside now. I hope you guys have fun!" with a wave, he ran into the house.

Kate and Piccolo stood there in silence.

Piccolo shyly took a step towards her and held his arms out to indicate he was going to carry her.

"Ready?"

She nodded and hugged his neck as he lifted her up before closing her eyes. Getting off the ground always made her a bit sick.

He noticed her discomfort.

"Just keep your body close to mine. You won't feel it as much."

She blushed before tucking her head into his chest harder.

He then took off gently.


	12. Chapter 12

"Well this is it."

Kate fumbled through her bag for her keys as they stood silently in the apartment's hallway.

Kate unlocked the door nervously.

"Hey, so I haven't been home in a while and I'm not sure how clean everything is so sorry if it's messy."

Piccolo remained straight faced.

The first thing he saw was a living room full of pictures. He smiled at a picture of Gohan when he was a baby.

"He's such a cute kid, eh?" she laughed.

He replied with a nod.

"I'm just going to grab some stuff from my room, you're more than welcome to come in."

He followed her silently, the awkwardness making him regret his decision of volunteering to escort her.

With a smile Kate led him down a short hallway to the second room on the right.  
Piccolo was surprised- he'd imagined Kate would have a larger, more extravagant room. All it had was a bed, a dresser, a desk, a closet, and several boxes.

She lay spread out on her bed face up, and let out a sigh.

"I missed my bed."

She looked over at Piccolo.

"Seriously. There's something about my bed." She patted the spot beside her. "Try it."

Piccolo blushed. He couldn't think of an excuse not to. He was tired from training.

Whatever.

He tried to lay down on the bed but his cape was wide enough to reach from the left to the right side.

He took his cape off, and gently placed it on the floor.

Piccolo laid on the bed and closed his eyes.

"It's so comfy right?!"

Kate got no reply. She held in a laugh when she noticed that Piccolo was asleep.

She blushed. The great warrior all tuckered out...in her bed.

Oh my gosh. He's in my bed.

Suddenly Kate's eyes began to feel heavy...

She had gotten up really early, and yesterday was a long day.

Maybe if I just close my eyes for a few seconds...

Kate woke up, and looked at her phone- she had fallen asleep for 4 hours!

She held in a scream as she saw Piccolo still sleeping a few inches from her. Having forgotten that it was real.

Suddenly a bit of guilt sunk in. He was exhausted- and it was all her fault.

She had to make it up to him somehow.

Piccolo shot up abruptly.

"What the?"

Oh. Right.

He stretched and looked out the window- the sun had already began to set.

Can't believe I was out for that long.

He got up and put his cape back on.

Going down the hallway- he saw Kate in the kitchen.

He entered with caution.

"Hey you're finally awake!" Kate dried her hands on a rag.

"Yeah. Sorry."

She laughed. "Don't be sorry at all! Hey, what are you doing later?"

Piccolo blushed- unfamiliar with someone asking him that. At the same time, he didn't want Kate to think he didn't have anything to do...

"I might see Gohan."

Damn I blew it!

She smiled. "Might? Well if you're not...I was wondering if I could take you out for dinner?"

He blushed even harder.

"Uh what..."

"I owe you a lot. Gohan says you're not into material things...or even eating- but there's this really good restaurant not too far from here- I think you'll like it."

Piccolo turned away from her.

"I'm not sure I need to see-"

"Hello Chichi? It's Kate. Is Gohan there?"

What is she doing?!

"Hey kiddo! Do you mind if I steal piccolo tonight?"

Gohan! If you can hear me don't-

"Great! Thank you so much. I'll see you tomorrow-I promise! I'll bring you and your mum something back from here. Yeah sure!"

She handed the phone over to Piccolo.

"Hi Mr. Piccolo! I heard you but you didn't finish what you were saying. Where are you going? Are you at her house? What's her house like?"

Piccolo hung up the phone.

Kate laughed.

"I guess you're stuck with me tonight."

Piccolo huffed and turned away.

Gohan. You'd better be ready, 'cause next time I see you-

Kate tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned and saw her holding a pile of clothes.

"What's this?"

Kate lifted his right arm up with one of her hands and placed the clothes in his.

"If I'm going to dress up, you'd might as well dress up too."

Piccolo looked at the clothes- confused.

These were supposed to be gifts to Goku, but Chi-Chi said they were a bit too stylish for him.

She pushed him back into her room.

"Okay I'm gonna get ready. You have 15 minutes!"

She smiled before closing the door.

What have I gotten myself into...

Piccolo walked out of the room awkwardly. Kate had given him a pair of black pants which felt abnormally tight on his calves.

Thankfully, the sweater she gave him wasn't too bad. He put the cap on and turned it backwards. It seemed Kate had him wearing all black.

Kate was in the washroom putting on makeup.

Piccolo stared at her leaning over the sink. Somewhat mesmerized. He never really had the time to notice how curvaceous the bottom half of her body was.

"Piccolo?"

Kate moved her head to see him.

He blushed and pretended he was looking at something else.

She came out and looked Piccolo over.

Wow.

"You look...really good."

He didn't move. Unsure of how to reply.

"Wait one more thing!"

She reached around a few of the drawers in the washroom and pulled out a thick gold chain. She tip toed and put it around Piccolo's neck.

He flinched a bit.

"Perfect. Okay now we can go."

Kate turned off the lights while leading him down the stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

The restaurant was dimly lit, and had people dressed up both casual and formal. Kate and Piccolo sat in a booth, which gave them some privacy.

"Loosen up!"

Kate carefully poured white wine into each of their glasses.

Piccolo grunted and relaxed his shoulders.

"I don't drink, Kate."

She laughed. "Same, but it's a special occasion." She lifted her glass. "Please?"

Piccolo hesitantly raised his glass.

"Cheers to you, Piccolo!"

Kate smiled and clinked their glasses together before taking a sip.

Piccolo sipped and scrunched his face.

"It's disgusting."

Kate's face was scrunched as well.

"I know, but I just dropped 3 bills for this bottle so we'd better start liking it."

Two and a half hours later, Kate and Piccolo had finished their meals. Kate had the steak, and Piccolo had decided to try lobster. Kate was right- he did enjoy it.

"Why didn't you just grab him?!" Kate laughed rather loud.

They were almost done the bottle of wine, and it was becoming apparent by Kate's loss of volume control, and by Piccolo's abnormal amount of conversation and laughing. Piccolo drank to try and calm his nerves as he'd never gone out for dinner before...let alone with a female. Since both of them rarely drank, it was easy for them to get drunk.

"I'm not quite sure. I guess it was in the moment. Killed by Nappa...so disgraceful looking back on it now."

He chuckled.

Kate placed a hand on his leg.

"You saved a life...even though you were killed by a guy named cabbage" she broke out into laughter.

Piccolo couldn't help it, and started laughing too.

Kate looked at the time. They'd been there for 3 hours.

"Oh shit. This place is closing soon." She signalled a waiter over and paid the bill.

As they left the restaurant, Kate steered Piccolo in the opposite direction of where they came.

"Isn't your house this way?"

Kate laughed. "Too many crazy drivers down that way at this time." Her words were slurred.

"Don't worry, I know a short cut back to my house from here."

She pointed towards a park, and they began to walk in that direction.

Piccolo and Kate were denied entry into the park by an iron fence.

"Damn."

Kate folded her arms.

"Why don't you want to fly?" Piccolo looked at her quizzically.

"Lots of photographers around here...I don't want them to catch you flying, or else they'd follow you forever."

Piccolo nodded.

Good point.

Kate then kicked off her heels and squeezed them through the fence.

"Kate! What are you doing?!"

She pressed a finger to her lips to tell Piccolo to stay quiet.

"Jump over the fence."

Piccolo easily cleared the fence, as it was shorter than him at 6 feet.

"Do you want me to carry-"

"No!"

She stuck a hand out.

"I can do this!"

She sloppily jumped up and grabbed the top.

Piccolo couldn't help but laugh as Kate struggled to get over.

"You're moving like a slug."

She glared at him from the top and crinkled her nose at him.

Piccolo chuckled.

Kate had now made it over to the other side- all she had to do was jump down.

"Jump down! It's not that high!"

She shot him another glare.

"Yeah maybe for you!"

She swallowed and closed her eyes.

Well here goes nothing!

She let go and found herself in Piccolo's arms.

He placed her down and was taken aback.

She was so pretty.

"Thanks, Piccolo! Now, it's this way!"

She started to walk once again.

Piccolo couldn't see her house, so it must have been quite far away still.  
He didn't mind the walk though, as he still felt a bit dizzy, and didn't want to hear what Kami would say if he returned to the Lookout drunk.

They walked for at least an hour.

It seemed to go by a lot faster though. Kate told stories about her life outside the Son residence and it fascinated Piccolo. It was as if they lived on two different planets.

"Wow we actually made it."

Kate reached around her purse for her keys.

"Do you want to come in? I'll only be a few minutes."

Piccolo shook his head. The effects of the alcohol were wearing off, and he was starting to get extremely sleepy.

Kate came back out with another suitcase full of clothes, still off balance from the alcohol. Piccolo took it from her hand and shook his head laughing.

"Ready?"

She jumped up, and he caught her with one arm. Her eyes were closed.

Piccolo couldn't help but smile.

They landed quietly in front of the Son Residence.

Kate's balance was a bit better than earlier but not quite 100%. She fumbled with her suit case to the house.

"Okay. Well, thanks for coming out. I actually had a lot of fun with you."

Piccolo blushed.

"Thanks...yeah..."

"Goodnight."

Kate smiled and turned towards the door.

"Kate—wait."

She turned around to look at him, and couldn't help but imagine the impossible….although everything that had already happened seemed impossible.

"Yes?"

He looked away from her.

"Your dress is ripped."

Kate went cold as she moved her hands up her dress, feeling a slit starting from the top of her knee to the small of her back—her underwear completely exposed. She quickly held her dress together with her right hand.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She turned a dark shade of pink.

"Because I didn't see it till now." He seemed somewhat nervous, which was unusual for the Namekian.

"You're lying! How could you not see it? The only time this could have happened was when we went over the fence, and that was over two hours ago! I can't belie—"

"I was looking at your face."

Kate was caught off guard by Piccolo's response.

"You—you what?"

"Your eyes…..they're…distracting." It was Piccolo's turn to blush, though he turned away before Kate could notice.

"My eyes?" If she blushed any harder, she'd probably have a nose bleed.

"Yeah—just…..just forget it. Goodnight."

With that he flew off into the sky, disappearing into the night.

"Goodnight."

If there was one thing that Kate couldn't stand about Piccolo—it was that he was unreadable, yet it was so typical of him to just disappear like that.

As she took her contacts out before bed, she looked at her eyes in the mirror and couldn't help but smile.

What's happening to me…..

What's happening to me…..

Piccolo walked aimlessly around The Lookout—there was too much on this mind.

Despite all the distress these thoughts were causing him, at the same time—he was feeling happy. It wasn't like Piccolo to enjoy company—but tonight he did. So many unfamiliar feelings were taking place and he didn't know how to handle them, nor what they meant. He hated to admit it….but he had 'fun'.

He failed to hold back a smile as a replay of Kate trying to climb over the fence played in his mind.

There he was, the great warrior, quietly chuckling about something so silly.

He stopped immediately as soon as he noticed Kami in front of him.

"Late night, Piccolo?"

Piccolo hardened his face, and continued to walk to his room. Before he could open the door, Kami laughed.

"Your ki seems brighter than usual. Have you been doing something new?"

Piccolo blushed and quickly turned around to scold Kami, but was baffled upon seeing that Kami was already on the other side of The Lookout.

He lay in bed for several hours—thinking. He opened up his right hand and formed an energy ball.

It shone a bright shade of yellow, and lit up the whole room.


End file.
